WLS XVI from White Line Squares (Series II)
1966
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
color lithograph on Arches Cover wove paper
Dimensions
image: 40 x 40 cm (15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in.) sheet: 52.7 x 52.7 cm (20 3/4 x 20 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Benjamin B. Smith
Accession Number
1985.47.12
Art Historical Context
Josef Albers, a pioneering Bauhaus master and influential teacher at Black Mountain College and Yale created *WLS XVI from White Squares (Series II)* 1966, late in his career. This lithograph exemplifies his lifelong obsession with color perception, building on his iconic *Homage to the Square* series. Here, nested squares outlined by crisp white lines create optical illusions, where hues shift dramatically based on their neighbors—demonstrating Albers' belief that "color is deceptive" and interactive. Printed on fine Arches Cover wove paper, the medium of color lithography allowed Albers pre...
About the Artist
Josef Albers
Josef Albers, born on March 19, 1888, in Bottrop, Westphalia, into a Roman Catholic family of craftsmen, received early practical training from his father, Lorenzo Albers, a housepainter and carpenter, mastering skills in engraving glass, plumbing, wiring, and printmaking. After working as a schoolteacher in Bottrop from 1908 to 1913, he trained as an art teacher at the Königliche Kunstschule in B...